5 Things to Avoid When Trying to Conceive

From eating a balanced diet, supplementing your diet with folic acid pills, to tracking your cycle, there are many things to do when trying to get pregnant. But there are also things you should avoid doing to increase your odds of conception.
Trying to conceive can turn out to be a waiting game – that you’re so impatient for that pregnancy test to turn positive. Here are 5 things you should avoid doing if you’re trying to get pregnant.

Stress
There’s no denying that we all have a little amount of stress in our lives from time to time. But chronic or intense stress can have a substantial negative impact on your fertility.
Trying to conceive can be a stressful time for couples, especially if it is not happening as quickly as you hoped. If you agonize over not getting pregnant, your chances of conceiving may be affected.
Stress, no matter the cause, can potentially inhibit conception. A study by Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center concluded that women with high-stress levels during the preconception period were less likely to conceive compared to their counterparts with low-stress levels.
Cortisol is a stress hormone in the human body with a significant impact on the fertility of a woman. As such, stress management should be a priority for a couple that is trying to conceive.

Too Much Caffeine

It is helpful to limit your coffee and soda intake. Women who enjoy more than one cup of coffee per day are half less likely to conceive compared to their counterparts who drink less, according to National Institutes of Health.
Caffeine is associated with fertility issues. Excessive coffee will interfere with your body’s ability to absorb iron and will leave you excessively dehydrated. And the worst part is – caffeine increases the chances of a miscarriage.

Excessive Alcohol
While some OB/GYN will advise that you stick to at most one drink a day, we recommend that you avoid using alcohol.
Alcohol can be associated with irregular periods, ovulation and will lead to abnormal estrogen and progesterone levels. Also, men should also limit the intake of alcohol as it has a negative impact on the sperm quality and may lead to erectile dysfunction.

Smoking
It’s highly detrimental to your health and has a negative impact on your fertility. Smoking increases the chances of getting lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. It’ll affect your entire body, the reproductive system included.
Smoking heightens the chances of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Besides, research has proven that men who smoke have low sperm count, which further lowers the possibility of conception.

Lubricants
According to National Institutes of Health, the over-the-counter vaginal lubricants used during intercourse can negatively affect the sperm mobility. The pH of the cervical mucus that gets released just before ovulation is favorable for the survival of the sperm and movement. However, most vaginal lubricants have their pH highly acidic that it risks the survival of the sperm. Combined the acidity and the thickness of these lubricants, and the sperm can barely move for fertilization.
At Denver Tech Center OBGYN, we understand the joy that comes with the discovery that you’re pregnant. Our commitment is to offer support and education to women before conception, upon conception, during pregnancy, delivery and after that.